Conveniently situated right in the heart of Medan town center, on the 6th floor of Capital Building, stylish, comfortable and inviting ambience best describe this eatery.  The tables layout are spread around several section of the restaurant giving that cozy feel to the place and include 2 private dining rooms for those who like it to be personalized.  Hence the place is one of the ideal few restaurants in Medan for groups dining, parties and business lunches or dinners.

There is also a full size Tepanyaki table in one corner for Tepanyaki and grilled Japanese food lovers.

Unagi Roll

Though the food choices from the main menu are rather limited, it does have the basic of many Japanese dishes that is well priced.  Have a try at the Unagi roll that is served on a hot sizzling plate, giving that warm soft texture of the eel served.

Unfortunately, the food is not the true authentically Japanese kind, well, none of the Japanese restaurant in Medan does serve it anyway.  I would recommend the place for nice quick lunch or an easy dinner before heading towards the Retro Pub just right next door.  In terms of service, staff are attentive, prompt and courteous. Meals for two is at approximately Rp 300.000.

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Mountain Trekking Climbing at Mount Naboratan

SamosirTourism will hold a trekking/climb events on 14 – 15 Nov 09 for Mount Naboratan at Garoga Village viewing the Simangande waterfall. Please find the attached information from Samosir Toursim

Host: Samosir Tourism
Type: Trips – Camping Trip
Start Time: Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 11:00am
End Time: Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 4:00pm
Location: Garoga Village

Typical Itinerary Summary:

• 14 Nov : 11 Am leaving the start point at Garoga Village – stay over night (camp) in the mountain
• 15 Nov ; Continuing the trek passing the Simangande waterfall – Back to the start point – Having BBQ fresh Fish + Tuak a local drink ( Palm wine ) – back to your hotel.

The Samosir Tourism  team will pick up/drop off any participants from/to their hotel.

Requirements for participants :

1. You need to have a really good condition/fit/energic and you do like challenge.
2. Put a good tracking shoes on
3. Rain jacket
4. Bring your own flashlight if u have.
5. If you bring your own tent will cost you less for the trip.
6. Follow the organizer a long the trip, dont make your own path, it is quiet dangerous.
7. Bring your own drink water as much as you can, beside that organisator will provide.
8. Better to wear a long shirt on.
9. Bring your Camera.

This is an introduction trekking/climb trip , if you bring your own food/tent it wont cost you anything, you are very welcome.

The cost is Rp.150.000, included what have been mentioned below :

• food/drink during the trip
• Tent
• BBQ
• Tuak
• THE FANTASTIC VIEW ON TOP OF THE MOUNT.

PARTICIPANTS 25 MAX

Want to join the Samosir Tourism Team in Mountain Trekking and Climbing at  Mount Naboratan?

Please email Samosir Tourism at henrymanik@samosirtourism.com , give your name, phone number, LET THEM KNOW IF YOU WILL BRING YOUR OWN TENT.Until now they already have 17 people who are joining the event. If the participants can bring their own tent, they can accommodate more participants.

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Queen, the Australian Band tribute to the legendary Queen of UK will perform in Medan! LIVE! bringing you everlasting hits from Queen! Sunday 08 Nov 2009

The concert will be held at Novotel Soechi Medan for 2 hours and expect to attract 800-1000 fans.

Before appearing in Medan, Queen has performed in  Kempinski Grand Ballroom, West Mall-Level 11, Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, Jakarta in a concert named “Bohemian Rhapsody Concert” on 05 November which will be shown on national television soon.

Concert tickets for Medan Concert range from Rp 150,000, Rp 250,000 and Rp 350,000 (VIP).

Queen It’s A Kinda Magic! is a band tribute Queen from Australia that has performed in many countries around the world including, France, Spain, Portugal, Turky, Germany, Dubai, Canada, USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philipines

The Band was established since 1986 and has been nurtured by Guitarist Queen Brian May, comprising of vocalist Craig Pesco (Freddie Mercury), guitarist Travis Hair (Brian May), Brett Millican (Roger Taylor) and bassist Matt Newton (John Deacon).

So if you are a fan of Queen, catch them in Medan!

source MedanTalk.com ~ Queen di Medan

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Cultural and Tourism Expo for North Sumatra

In accordance to promoting Visit Indonesia Year 2009 and World Tourism Day 2009, Pemko Medan has organized “Sumut Gempar 2009″ an exhibition of local attractions, culture, tourism and performances.

Witness performance of Cultural Carnival of Amazing North Sumatra with exhibition and entertainment by local artiste from 12 – 15 November 2009 at Lapangan Merdeka Medan, right beside Merdeka Walk Medan.

Special guest Katon Bagaskara Indonesia artiste will present special performances on Saturday 14 November at 19.00 WIB and there will be a Cultural Carnival of Amazing North Sumatra on Sunday 15 November 2009.

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“Petis” means “Rojak Sauce” in Bahasa Jawa (language) and this is exactly what the menu is, fried chicken with rojak sauce. Serve with rice and vegetables, tofu and tempe, with a touch of sweet and spicy taste to it.

Ayam Petis is actually a newcomer in town as it actually originates from Surabaya just like we have Soto Medan as a type of typical Medan food, Ayam Petis is a typical Surabaya dish.

ayam petis surabaya medan

You can now try this Surabaya dish in Medan at Restoran Cide Laras along Jl. Ringroad. Babby Sony, the manager of the restaurant claimed that it has become one of the most popular menu in the restaurant serving more than 200 portions per day. He added that the best combination of drink with Ayam Petis is their favorite “Air Kelapa Madu” – Coconut Honey Drink.

Price of the dish is affordable at Rp. 9.000 per portion surprisingly cheaper than the Coconut drink at Rp10.000 per glass.

Apart from Ayam Petis, other favorite menu includes Lele Petis, Gurami Petis, Tuka-tuka Petis, Ayam Ingkung Petis and Gembung Petis.

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For those who loves beaches and Amazing Thailand, this is definitely a great news. Air Asia has just announced today that they are flying Medan to Phuket direct!

For years, Medan only has only three international flights destinations like Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Medan used to have direct flights to Bangkok and Taiwan many years ago but they were scrapped.

All these years, Medanese who wish to travel further needs to make a transit in either of the three cities Penang, KL or Singapore and it can make traveling an unpleasant experience wasting time in transit, hotel accommodations,  cost of tickets and worst of all the hassle of transit and waiting for the next flights.

island hopping from Phuket

To travel to Phuket, travelers from Medan had to make a transit from either the three cities as well, sometimes not able to take the next connecting flight and have to stay overnight at either one of the cities which equals to more costs of travel, time wasted etc..

With this new direct route, Medanese can now make a quick short trip, a getaway and return to Medan easily.

For non residents / travelers, you can now choose to visit Medan, fly one way to Medan, then another one way to Phuket and hop on to your next destination making full use of Air Asia one way ticketing system.

Golfers can also take this opportunity to hop around golf courses in Medan and Phuket!

Fly from Phuket to Medan!

Are you from Phuket? Take this opportunity to visit Medan and the world largest crater lake Danau Toba, or take advantage of our affordable golf courses in Medan.

Air Asia is now promoting the route stating from Rp99.000 ++ one way trip from Medan to Phuket or TBH 999 for Phuket to Medan and special promotions at Rp 49.000++ for HSBC credit card holders.

• Booking Period: 4 Nov 2009 – 9 Nov 2009
• Travel Period: 3 Dec 2009 – 30 Apr 2010
• Travel Notes:  Advance booking required, fares not available during embargo period

But be warned, Air Asia pricing is plus plus! So it can turn out to be more than Rp700.000 per trip depending on travel dates as we last checked. More information in this direct link to Medan-Phuket page, if link has been changed, please go to AirAsia.com

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On 02 November 2009 around 22.30 WIB in Medan, North Sumatra Indonesia, a magnificent view of rainbow halo around the moon appears in Medan. We have seen several Rainbow Halo around the Sun before in Medan, but just for tonight, it appears around the Moon!

picture of the rainbow halo around the moon as seen and taken from our rooftop

you can see the staircase of our rooftop its a rare sight for a rainbow halo to appear at night around the moon.

This halo moon sight occurs when high thin clouds containing millions of tiny ice crystals cover much of the sky. Each ice crystal acts like a miniature lens. Because most of the crystals have a similar elongated hexagonal shape, light entering one crystal face and exiting through the opposing face refracts 22 degrees, which corresponds to the radius of the Moon Halo.

In the study of meteorology, the term halo can refer to several optical phenomena whereas sunlight or moonlight is being either reflected or refracted (or a combination of both) by high altitude cirrus clouds, resulting in bright rings.

A ring of light 22 degrees from the moon (or sun) is the most common type of halo observed from earth and is formed by millions of hexagonal ice crystals with diameters less than 20.5 micrometers within the clouds.

A halo around the moon is often a warning that stormy weather is coming. The ice crystals that create halos come in cirrus clouds, which often come before warm fronts or other weather systems that can bring rain.

True enough, Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG) Indonesia warns of thunderstorms in several areas of Indonesia including North Sumatra as reported in MedanTalk.com.

Planet Jupiter and Moon Halo

Some good pictures of Moon Halo taken in other parts of the world with Planet Jupiter and Moon Halo!

picture of moon halo by Juan Carlos Casado

The town in the foreground of the above picture is San Sebastian, Spain. The distant planet Jupiter appears by chance on the halo’s upper right.

Jupiter and the full moon have been pleasingly close together all weekend on March 5th, Philippe Moussette of Québec, Canada, photographed them both surrounded by a lovely 22′ moon halo

Atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley remarks on Moussette’s image of the moon halo,that “it looks like two halos: (1) a 22º halo and (2) a circumscribed halo, which surrounds the 22º halo, touching it at the top and bottom.”

A similar Sun Halo may be visible during the day. Previous post and pictures of Rainbow Halo around the Sun in Medan

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Indonesia imposes a Value Added Tax (VAT) also known as PPN and PPnBM for luxury goods. The applicable rates are ten percent on most goods and services and between ten and fifty percent for goods and services covered by the Luxury Sales Tax (PPnBM). Certain goods and services are exempt from VAT, including basic food supplies such as rice, salt, corn, and the like; and medical, social (public benefit), religious, education, and art services.

The Ministry of Finance announced the changes in taxation policies today (01 Nov 2009) with “Pasal 16E UU Number 42 year 2009″ on revision of “UU Number 8 year 1983″ about PPN tax on products and services and PPnBM on luxury goods, which will be effective from 1 April 2010.

The new policy stated that individuals holding foreign passport who purchased goods inclusive of PPN and PPnBM can claim tax refund if the goods are to be carried out of the country.

Some of the initial policies include these limitations:

• At the moment, the set price of goods eligible for tax refund has to be Rp500.000 and above and will be revised accordingly with the new laws of Indonesia “Peraturan Pemerintah”
• Goods eligible also need to be purchased within 1 month of bringing out of the country.
• With tax documents of the purchased goods (faktur pajak)
• Only valid for individuals with foreign passports leaving Indonesia
• Goods have to be declared to tax department at airport as indicated by the Ministry of Finance.
• Need to show a valid passport, boarding pass and tax documents (faktur pajak)

Other procedures of tax refund of PPN and PPnBM will be set accordingly by the Ministry of Finance. The new law should increase tourists spending in Indonesia with another 10%-15% refund on goods purchased. Hopefully, it can be implemented successfully.

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Asean International Hotel is a modern Four Star Luxury Hotel, conveniently located in the heart of Medan City, with easy access to Business Districts, Shopping Malls and only 15 minutes from Polonia International Airport.  Not to forget that within walking distance from the hotel is the famous Waringin food street and as night falls, you will find Medan’s best known Durians right in front of your doorstep.

With some new upgrading to rooms, the hotel is now offering guest to some fantastic deal.

Executive Room

Executive Room Opening Rate, Rp. 488.000,-nett

FEATURES & BENEFITS :
Executive Lounge
Tastefully Designed Rooms & Suites
Show Kitchen
Executive Business Centre
Daily Turn Down Service
Daily Afternoon Hi-Tea
Express Check-in & Check-out
Drop and Pick up Airport & Shopping Mall
Private Floor
Daily Newspaper

ROOM FACILITIES :
IDD direct dial telephone system
Cable & Satellite TV and Radio
Full Mini Bar
Laundry Service
Welcome Drink & Fruit Basket
Broadband Internet Access
Safe Deposit Box Laptop Size
Full Toiletries and many more

Superior Room

Superior Single / Double, Rp. 345.000,-nett (Room Only)

ROOM FACILITIES :

- Welcome drink
- Free use of  Fitness Centre, Jacuzzi, Steam Room and Swimming Pool
Valid until 31st December 2009

Meeting Residential Package

Price starts from Rp. 290.000,-nett/guest*

FACILITIES :
- Stay in a Superior Room (Twin Sharing)
- Breakfast
- 3 kinds of Snacks with Tea and Coffee
- Lunch / Dinner
- Banner or Backdrop
- Equipment Standard for meeting (Sound System, Projector, Microphone, OHP, Screen, TV, VCD, White Board + Marker, Flip Chart, Note Pad + Pen)

*Terms & Conditions Apply

For more Infomation, please contact :

ASEAN INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
JL. H.ADAM MALIK NO. 5 MEDAN – 20114
NORTH SUMATERA
PHONE : (62-61) – 4563 888 / 4575 888
FAX      : (62-61) – 4561 968 / 4561 978
E-MAIL : ASEANHTL@INDOSAT.NET.ID
E-MAIL RESERVATION : ASEAN.HOTEL@YAHOO.COM
WEBSITE:  www.aseaninterhotelmedan.com

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One of Medan local favorite food is Mie Bakso, (Meatball Noodles) There are many local stalls selling Mie  Bakso in Medan including modern fast food Mie Bakso restaurants in shopping malls. Here’s one popular Mie Sop Bakso posted by our editors at MedanTalk.com

Miesop and bakso Pak H Siran at Jalan Hang Tuah Medan. Located near to SMU Methodist 1 Medan or Kampus Methodist Medan which has been opened since 1974. Always packed with hungry Medanese so its not difficult to spot it!

Especially at lunch time, the warung bakso and mie Pak H Siran is packed. Each portion costs Rp 20 .000. and will fill you up nicely. For the light eater or those on diet, half portion Bakso is also available at Rp15.000.

What’s Special about Mie Bakso Pak H Siran?

Agnes, a customer admits that the bakso served by Pak H Siran is truly amazing, tasty and the beef smells nice.

Ibu Hj. Jumiiran revealed that the speciality of the their Bakso is in the special recipe passed down by the family of Alm H Siran. “The meat is boiled for 2 hours to make sure it is not hard”

According to Hj. Jumiran, they are able to sell about 300 bowls of Mie Sop Bakso daily consuming 100 kg of beef and 40 kg noodles.

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